666 Park Avenue
By Gabriella Pierce 
“A fairytale for grown up girls, surprisingly charming and fun, like candy floss. Not entirely good for you but delicious succour for the frivolous soul”
It seems as if the book world is all about vampires at the moment, but thankfully this book isn’t. It’s about witches. The first in a three part series, 666 Park Avenue reminds me of a grown up version of Bewitched- that quintessential 1970s show about a ditzy but good witch.
666 Park Avenue’s protagonist is also a good witch, and somewhat clumsy and clueless – a 21st Century Sabrina!
Plain Jane Boyle lives a very ordinary life (as ordinary as living in Paris and working at a top architectural firm must be) and is therefore delighted by her good luck in attracting such a handsome and wealthy fiance as Malcolm Doyle, the son of an eminent New York City socialite. Her ‘good luck’ continues with the untimely demise of her grandmother – her only relative – which ensures that no familial loyalties stand in Jane’s way to act on Malcolm’s insistence and move from Paris to New York City to meet his family and get wed. But when Jane meets the mother in law she realises all too late that her fairytale love story has taken a dark turn.
What would you do if your mother in law was a witch?
Literally!
Of course Jane is not left to fight the dreaded mother in law and her harridan of NYC witches alone and helpless, as we soon learn that Jane is herself a witch, the last in a long line of powerful good witches. Now if only she could actually tame her unpredictable powers in time to fight for her life.
It’s all good stuff, and as much as I didn’t want to like this book, I just couldn’t help turning those pages. It’s fun, it’s funny, it’s a bit silly (at times) but hey….every life needs a little candy floss. Jane is an entirely like able character and the sex scenes between the young lovers are suitably hot and steamy – much more titivating than the more popular Fifty Shades!
The only sour note for me was Malcolm’s tendency to be a bit of a mummy’s boy which saw me scowling at the pages demanding he grow some balls. 666 Park Avenue is the first in an already popular series in the US (due to be published at the beginning of August here in the UK) and I am already smacking my lips at the thought of the second book in the series.
Go on, if you’re looking for a mag-style beach read, this is a goodie! Everyone needs to rest their literary head on something light and fluffy occasionally, right?
/5
